The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Firm fined £5m for crash on Smiler rollercoaster
‘Catastrophic’ failures saw impact likened to 90mph car crash
Alton Towers operator Merlin Attractions has been fined £5 million for a “catastrophic failure” of health and safety rules over the Smiler rollercoaster crash.
Two teenagers – Vicky Balch, then 19, and Leah Washington, then 17 – could have bled to death from their injuries and each ended up losing a leg after the collision in June last year.
The victims – left suspended in the ride 20ft (6m) above ground for up to five hours – are now expected to seek civil compensation.
Lawyers for eight of those hurt said the fine is believed to be the largest of its kind for a leisure industry company.
Stafford Crown Court had heard that the passengers watched with “disbelief and horror” before ploughing into an empty carriage on the track, with the impact likened to a 90mph car crash.
The court heard engineers overrode the computer system that had correctly stopped the ride as they believed it was an error, allowing the passenger carriage to hit the empty car. It was found that while the ride and control systems were sound, Merlin had failed to put in place proper systems and a suitable risk assessment for safe running leading.
Judge Michael Chambers QC said all 16 people in the carriage had been “injured to various degrees”, adding that Merlin’s safety failure had resulted in “putting at risk the safety of thousands.”
Merlin’s chief executive Nick Varney again apologised, adding: “It is something none of us will ever forget.”
Forfar-based senior solicitor Stuart Mackie of Thorntons said the case was a “sobering example” of how health and safety fines in England and Scotland can be based on a company’s turnover.
“For a company with a turnover in excess of £50 million, the starting point for the sheriff is £4m,” he commented.
“This highlights that responsibility for health and safety must start at the highest level of management.”